Amanda Barr!

An interview with Amanda Barr (Golden Hiccups), the awesome founder of ELF.

ELF:  What got you interested in crafting/creating?
Amanda: My dad Ted Barr was an artist/oil painter and I always knew I wanted to make art, and my mom was always being creative for Valentines, or Christmas, we were always creating projects in the home. 

 ELF:  Where does your name Golden Hiccups come from?
Amanda:  I like the way Japanese translations to English sound so poetic sometimes, like 'Today your waterfall is filled with smiles' and stuff like that, and so I thought making little art projects was like a golden hiccup.

ELF:  How long have you been crafting/creating?

Amanda:  When I was little, like 5 years old, I would look through my dad's year book from art school from the 60's and it really gave me a goal to work towards.  I thought the portraits of the people in that book looked fascinating. My first art project was a book called 'My trip to the Brain'.  And in 8th grade I was able to sell beads I made at a local store in Tucson and then I started making little order forms and stuffed toys and strange ornaments. It was a great way to make money at that age. 

ELF: Do you have a favorite crafting or art website or blog?

Amanda:  http://www.stevenhull.com/main.php and http://www.glitterlimes.com/

ELF:  As an artist of many mediums, do you have a favorite?

Amanda:  Wow, Hmmmm, first thing I think of is clay, then I realize I like collage, but I don't really.

ELF:  Do you have a favorite band or type of music that you listen to while crafting/creating? 

Amanda:  My friend Casey is in the studio next door, and we almost always listen to NPR. Boring answer, but I also like classical, it does help me focus more.

ELF:  What do you like most about Carrboro?

Amanda:  People all are in bands, fresh baked stuff from Weaver Street, and people helping each other out, and it's like a sanctuary.

ELF: What aspect of the ELF Fair are you most excited about?

Amanda:  I love spending a whole day with such a creative bunch of vendors and seeing the whole community taking time to buy handmade stuff with a lot of heart.